Shows and Events

This roundup of upcoming shows and events includes news from the Mid-America Boat & Fishing Show and the Milwaukee Boat Show.

A canned food drive for free admission on Tuesday at the Mid-America Boat & Fishing Show was a huge success and helped fuel one of the biggest weekday turnouts in recent history, show organizers said.

Each visitor who brought four cans of food received free admission. The cans filled a Scout fishing boat provided by South Shore Marine and four overflow containers had to be brought in to hold the cans.

"We weren't exactly sure what to expect or if the promotion would work, but the crowd was excellent and I can definitely see this becoming a yearly tradition," show manager Ken Alvey said.

The food, which weighed more than 2,000 pounds, was donated to the Hunger Network of Greater Cleveland.

The 10-day Milwaukee Boat Show at State Fair Park, which opens Friday, will close three hours earlier than scheduled on Sunday because of the NFC championship game between the Green Bay Packers and the Chicago Bears.

The show will run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sunday.

To compensate for the early closing, the show will be open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday.